The slogan, “There is a first time for everything,” can be tied to recent recognition awarded to the ISU swimming and diving team during the off-season.

This off-season, the swimming and diving team claimed two Big 12 awards. The first was the Big 12 Diving Coach of the Year, which was awarded to ISU coach Jeff Warrick. This was the first time an ISU coach received this distinction from the Big 12.

Warrick, who has been the diving coach at Iowa State for 17 seasons, helped guide the diving team to one of its best seasons ever.

“I was completely surprised and was not expecting it,” Warrick said. “But it is about the divers, and it is a reflection on how they did.”

Coach Warrick guided the ISU diving team to a second place finish at the Big 12 Conference Championships, which is the highest finish in ISU history as part of the Big 12.

In addition to the diving team earning its highest finish under Warrick, three ISU divers went to the NCAA Zone “D” Championships. The last time ISU sent divers to the Zone “D” Championships was four years ago during the 2010-11 season.

To add to this success, three divers made the top 10, all-time ISU performers list in the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform dives.

“Jeff is very much a teacher-coach,” said swimming coach Duane Sorenson. “He takes divers who are good at best and turns them into Big 12 finalists, so he is very worthy of this award.”

Big 12 Diving Coach of the Year was not the only award the ISU swimming and diving team claimed. The team also claimed Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, which was awarded to freshman swimmer Kasey Roberts.

Roberts arrived at Iowa State already an accomplished swimmer, as she was a former Minnesota state swimming champion.

“I was excited,” Roberts said. “And when I heard I received the award, I called my parents.”

Roberts burst onto the scene during the Big 12 Championships. During the championships, Roberts placed in the top five in each of the six events she competed in.

One factor that helped contribute to Roberts winning the Newcomer of the Year award was simply attending Iowa State.

“She came from a small high school program, so she didn’t have people to compete against day in and day out in practice,” Sorenson said. “We were able to give her technical work day in and day out as well.”

The technical work that Roberts gained translated all season long for the Cyclones. Not only did Roberts finish in the top five in all six events at the Big 12 Championships, she also finished with 44 top-three finishes and won 20 events she competed in this season.

Roberts also set three all-time school records in the 200 breaststroke, 200 individual medley, and in the 800-freestyle relay.

This was the first time Iowa State captured both the Diving Coach of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards in the same season. It also marked the 10th time in Big 12 history that the same school captured Newcomer of the Year and Newcomer of the Meet [Big 12 Championships].

Even though Roberts had a fantastic first year at Iowa State, she said there is always room to grow.

“I am hoping to lower my times to qualify for more national swimming and diving meets,” Roberts said.

If Roberts is able to reduce her times, Coach Sorenson believes she can climb even higher than that.

“If she can fix the little things that we discussed this offseason, then she has a legitimate chance to make the Olympic trials,” Sorenson said.